Mental Health Chapter 1: Ego Defense Mechanisms

Study Notes

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Compensation
- Covers weakness by emphasizing desirable traits.
- Example: A physically handicapped boy excels academically as a substitution for his inability to play football.
Denial
- Refusal to acknowledge real situations or associated feelings.
- Example: A woman compulsively drinks alcohol but fails to recognize her problem.
Displacement
- Transference of feelings from a threatening target to a neutral one.
- Example: A patient angry at their doctor expresses that anger verbally towards a nurse instead.
Rationalization
- Making excuses or logical reasons for unacceptable feelings or behaviors.
- Example: John justifies his drinking by blaming it on stress from his marriage and job.
Reaction Formation
- Expresses opposite behaviors or thoughts to prevent unacceptable ones.
- Example: Jane denounces nursing during career day despite her personal hatred for it, driven by parental pressure.
Regression
- Reverting to earlier developmental stages in response to stress.
- Example: Jay, hospitalized for tonsillitis, returns to drinking from a bottle despite previously using a cup.
Identification
- Enhances self-worth by adopting attributes of an admired individual.
- Example: A rehabilitated teen decides to become a physical therapist inspired by his recovery journey.
Intellectualization
- Uses logic and reasoning to avoid expressing emotions related to stress.
- Example: Susan hides her anxiety about relocating by focusing on the benefits of the move.
Introjection
- Incorporates beliefs and values from others into oneself.
- Example: A child adopts the moral values of their parents and expresses them to peers, stating cheating is wrong.
Isolation
- Disconnects thoughts or memories from associated emotions.
- Example: A young woman recounts a traumatic attack without showing any emotional response.
Projection
- Attributes unacceptable feelings or impulses to others.
- Example: Sue, feeling attraction for her coach, insists he is pursuing her instead.
Repression
- Involuntarily blocks unpleasant feelings and experiences from consciousness.
- Example: An accident survivor has no recollection of the events surrounding the crash.
Sublimation
- Channels unacceptable impulses into constructive activities.
- Example: A mother channels grief into activism against drunk driving after losing her son.
Suppression
- Voluntary blocking of uncomfortable feelings or experiences.
- Example: Scarlett O'Hara postpones dealing with her problems, saying she will think about them later.
Undoing
- Symbolically negates an intolerable experience.
- Example: Joe, feeling guilty for yelling at his wife, buys her flowers as a gesture to reconcile.

Description

Explore the essential ego defense mechanisms outlined in Chapter 1 of Mental Health. This flashcard quiz covers key terms like Compensation and Denial, providing real-life examples to enhance your understanding of these concepts.